Ramsey pledges to keep up the TPP fight

Unifor Local 200 member and newly elected Member of Parliament Tracey Ramsey came to Ontario Regional Council to thank Unifor volunteers for their support during the election and to pledge to keep fighting to make sure the Trans Pacific Partnership helps instead of hurting Canadian workers.

“Stephen Harper signed a bad deal in the dying days of his government. We shouldn’t be bound by it,” said Ramsey, the NDP’s International Trade Critic in Parliament.

“The NDP is going to fight for your families, for your jobs, and for your communities,” said Ramsey, who became active in her union as an autoworker with Ford in Windsor.

The Trans Pacific Partnership, or TPP, became a central issue in the Essex County riding, where Ramsey defeated former Conservative MP Jeff Watson – a staunch supporter of the TPP, and described by Local 200 President Chris Taylor as “the worst MP in the history of the Conservatives.”

Ramsey promised to push the ruling Liberals for changes to the TPP, including ensuring it does not put auto jobs at risk.

“I will be standing up and telling Justin Trudeau we want a better deal,” she said.

While the Official Opposition in Parliament will be the Conservative Party, Ramsey said only the NDP puts the interests of ordinary Canadians at the forefront of its efforts.

“The Conservatives cannot be counted on to provide opposition,” she said. “You can count on the NDP to provide progressive opposition. We are the voice of working people.”

Ramsey, a discussion leader at Port Elgin, thanked Unifor and the many volunteers from the union who worked on her campaign.

“I don’t know where I would be without my union family,” Ramsey said, and urged Unifor members to remain active between elections.

“We have a political power that will shape the future of this country, with the people in this room.”